Conservation first, Restoration when necessary: Rethinking the Future of Marine Protection with Saul Ciriaco, Miramare MPA – Italy – Across the Mediterranean and beyond, marine scientists are increasingly turning to restoration not as a replacement for conservation, but as its essential partner. The challenge is no longer choosing one over the other; it is learning how both can work together to secure the future of our seas.
Marine conservation and restoration are often discussed as if they were competing approaches. In reality, they represent two complementary strategies that serve different purposes.
Conservation aims to prevent ecosystems from degrading through effective management and protection, while restoration seeks to repair habitats that have already been damaged. In an interview conducted by Blue Life Hub, Saul Ciriaco, responsible for scientific activities at WWF Miramare Marine Protected Area, as well as a naturalist and passionate diver, shared his perspective on the relationship between these two approaches. Drawing on his extensive experience in marine research and conservation, Ciriaco highlighted that while conservation remains the most cost-effective and sustainable solution, accelerating climate pressures are making restoration increasingly necessary. Yet, without strong and effective conservation policies, restoration efforts alone are unlikely to deliver lasting results.
Conservation: The First Line of Defense
Conservation focuses on protecting marine habitats before irreversible damage occurs. Through governance, sustainable management, and reducing human pressures such as anchoring, pollution, and overexploitation, healthy ecosystems can continue functioning without requiring costly interventions.
As Saul explains:
«”Conservation refers to the set of governance practices that contribute to the sound management of an environment, minimising its impacts. Restoration, on the other hand, is the tool that enables us to rectify if it is effective the ineffective management of an environment that has consequently become degraded and needs to be restored.”»
He further emphasizes that prevention is always the preferred strategy:
«”Conservation can exist without restoration if it is effective and thus succeeds in preventing impacts and threats that cause environmental deterioration. If it is ineffective, conservation must be complemented by restoration techniques; however, without effective management and conservation, these cannot lead to measurable results.”»
This perspective reinforces an essential principle of marine management: preventing degradation is both more sustainable and more cost-effective than repairing ecosystems after they have been damaged.
When Restoration Becomes Unavoidable
Despite effective local management, some environmental threats remain beyond human control. At the Miramare Marine Protected Area, the decline of Cymodocea nodosa seagrass illustrates this challenge. Although local pressures were successfully minimized, rising sea temperatures and nutrient imbalances in the Gulf of Trieste triggered habitat degradation.
As Saul explains:
«”The case of Cymodocea nodosa is a striking example of how conservation measures alone have been unable to halt the deterioration of the habitat. In the area under consideration, thanks to effective management practices, there is no anchoring or other threats to the seagrass beds; however, rising temperatures and a probable phospholimitation in the Gulf of Trieste in recent years have triggered a process of seagrass bed decline. These two threats lie beyond the scope of the managing body’s ‘regulation’, and restoration measures have therefore been initiated.”»
Restoration, however, is not without challenges. Many projects remain limited in scale, and some habitats are particularly difficult to restore. Speaking about these limitations, Saul notes:
«”The biggest problem relates to the small scale of the restoration projects, which are currently always rather limited in scope. The only exception might be considered to be Posidonia, for which large-scale restorations are also carried out; however, this cannot be considered a true restoration, given that Posidonia is not currently reproduced in the laboratory but is merely moved from a donor site to a recipient site. Posidonia restorations carried out using seeds have an inherent limitation, which is the size and availability of the seeds.”»
The Future Depends on Combining Both Approaches
Looking ahead, marine experts agree that restoration will become increasingly necessary as climate change accelerates ecosystem loss. However, restoration cannot succeed in isolation. Without effective conservation measures that eliminate the causes of degradation, restored habitats are likely to decline once again.Saul also believes that conservation should remain the priority when resources are limited:
«”Given the need to set priorities, it is certainly better to invest in conservation. Moreover, the cost of restoration per square metre is much higher.”»
At the same time, he highlights the broader societal value of conservation:
«”Sustainable conservation measures tend to involve the local community more closely and therefore have a long-term impact on the behaviour of stakeholders.”»
Ultimately, the future of marine protection will require both approaches working together. As Saul concludes:
«”Unfortunately, I believe that, however much effort we put into conservation, it will become increasingly necessary to implement restoration plans as well; however, these cannot be successful without effective conservation management if we are to achieve lasting benefits.”»
The lesson is clear: restoration can heal damaged ecosystems, but only conservation can protect those gains for the future. Investing in prevention remains the smartest strategy, while restoration should be used as a powerful tool to recover habitats when prevention alone is no longer enough. As Saul’s insights demonstrate, the future of marine biodiversity will depend not on choosing between conservation and restoration, but on ensuring the two work hand in hand.
Conservation first, Restoration when necessary: Rethinking the Future of Marine Protection with Saul Ciriaco, Miramare MPA – Italy
